Vouchers and religion - Two separate issues

It will probably be summer -- nearly time for a new school year -- before the U.S. Supreme Court rules on one high-profile case: school vouchers. In the meantime, thousands of parents and schoolchildren from Cleveland, where this test case originated, and other cities where school vouchers are being used, will be holding their collective breath.

The core issue is whether or not school vouchers funnel public funds to religious schools in violation of years of rulings that have been aimed at separating church and state. It does little good to speculate about what the court will decide in this instance. Nor does it do much good to rehash the church-state debate and whether or not the Constitution is being ignored in cities where school vouchers are being put to good use.

But it may do some good to examine the facts about vouchers and the effect they are having on the delivery of education to students who might otherwise be denied the opportunities to learn what they deserve.

In Cleveland, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that the school-voucher program there "clearly has the impermissible effect of promoting sectarian schools." That ruling comes from a city where every school is given the opportunity to participate but, in fact, only some inner-city schools and several parochial schools accept the $2,250 vouchers. As a result, most of the voucher students go to schools with religious affiliations.

Just imagine what it would be like if every school welcomed voucher students. And there is an example of how that works in Milwaukee, where 11,000 students get vouchers of more than $5,500 and can choose among 106 schools.

The companion issue to the constitutional question now before the Supreme Court is simple: Do vouchers, which allow parents to choose where their children go to school, produce good results?

There are few detractors who flatly say children who use vouchers and choose their school don't do better academically. Most of the arguments against vouchers have to do with other issues such as school funding and maintaining a diverse base of students at all schools.

Those are important considerations, but it is difficult to argue with the bottom line: Students who have a choice do better than students who are forced to attend schools that fail to deliver on providing a good education.

That is such an important point. There is no need for vouchers where schools are doing a good job. Most schools in Southeast Missouri, for example, are good schools. But in cities like Cleveland and Milwaukee, there are good schools -- and there are bad schools. With vouchers, Milwaukee has seen an overall improvement in all of its schools.

Clearly, there is a strong case for vouchers. Now it's up to the Supreme Court to decide if religious schools can be a part of the mix.